James Lilley is a former Marine and 25 year veteran of the Howard County, Maryland Police Department. His awards include the police department’s Medal of Valor, Four Bronze Stars and Four Unit Citations.

Jim was selected as the 2008 Police-Writers.com Author of the Year and his true crime work, Fatal Destiny, The Carjacking Murder of Dr. Pam Pasu was selected as the 2013 Police-Writers.com Book of the Year.

He is also a lecturer at Johns Hopkins University in the Police Executive Leadership Program and Intelligence Analysis Program. His book The Eyes of The Hunter was selected as a text for the Communications Course in the Master of Science in Intelligence Analysis degree program at Johns Hopkins University.
His programs on Physical Training and Handgun Retention have been published by The International Association of Chiefs Of Police In Police Chief Magazine and the IACP Training Keys.

Jim is also a 9th Degree Black Belt in Kobayashi Ryu Karate and the first American to be promoted to the rank of black belt by Sensei Takeshi Miyagi.

Author — James Lilley–Former Marine, and 25 year Police Officer is an excellent, highly prolific Writer of over 15 books. In his latest Novel. The Hounds From Hell refers to a group of men and women that are characterized as the misfits in this department. They mesh together well under James Black Jack Larson’s leadership, (and) later on become the elite crime fighting team known as “The Hounds From Hell,” as they doggedly go after drug dealers, pimps, and their street walker’s, and their street hustler’s and also, the usual den of thieves… operating a Car Theft Ring under a nefarious crime lord and kingpin who cleverly runs, such an effective empire, ( we never  later on reveal his identity,) the Officer’s track down this enterprise during the course of the entire 371 page Novel. It’s a well written work with some fine interweaving by play, with the female and the male player’s. The author has some Elmore Leonard type flair within his dialogue writing skills which are quite icy, cool, and smooth, too.

This is a gifted storyteller. He writes the men as well as the women with great subtext and poise. Inside this book you will feel every storyline. On ride along shotgun front seat point of view. Some truly graphic experiences for the Police Officer’s, (as well as the T.V reporter,) Nicole Santos who is Novel length counter weight, and ball and chain, via an investigative turn, whom was hired to take down; our protagonist. When the Hotel busts go down and the rat infested setting with finding the baby laying in the tub’ where the rats can’t reach the crying child. It has the details from crack den’ to emotional outpouring causing otherwise hardened men, or women, seeing the lowest lows that come from chasing a devil’s tale of crack high’s. Scene’s depicted so real, any character has to exit to go off, and, reset whatever the ugliest it reaches to be to heave by throwing up; your always ready to shower off the sweat on the detailed writing style afterward just like our character’s do so’ frequently, after going—through a difficult day shift, and, night shift, seeing the daily grind.

Taking on the opening chapter. James Larson shoots and kills a teenage suspect that fired a shot at him in a traffic stop. The officer is chasing a Car that was wildly firing a firearm out of the window. We’re not told what fuel that suspect might be on. We are left to guess. The kid pulls the speeding Car, ending the chase into a parking lot. He shot first, and, he missed Larson. That’s all we know. The kid dies… on the scene, long before paramedics arrived. The kid was connected to a political family. Black Jack Larson’s career takes a complete nose dive. Immediately, after grand jury simply refuses to indict him, and he also survives review board. The department exiles him off the streets to another Career low and into the dog house, he fall’s further off the grid, down to being like a harnessed stud thoroughbred’ stabled and idle; at Records Division.

He spends 18 months off the streets and languishing inside Records AKA Siberia to a man like “Black Jack” Larson while the criminal and civil lawsuit’s impact the Police department. He gets restored to duty. But the enemies from within were hatched to dog him via Captain Henry Farges, and Lieutenant Dan Willis. Later on the dept. hatches the pack from the Internal Affairs Division, who all converge as forces that our protagonist must navigate correctly. We feel the powerful arm’ of that prominent family… whom still think that their son was murdered… in cold blood by Larson. All of these forces working all at once nag at him by biting into his backside. And, within the ploy of Larson’s detractors another planned— attack we’re seeing unfolding hatches into play, by employing a T.V. News Reporter, to dig deeply into Larson’s past, and posting a “tell all” filming— documentary on some of his method’s, plus whatever they dug— up, by following and reporting to these’ detractor’s; all of his police practice’s.

Nicole Santos is a tough and resourceful T V Reporter. The crux of this Novel relies on the whole book from start to finish seeing if the Reporter will nail the Policeman to the cross. The Author delicately spins this web with a remarkably—tender, and, subtle–touch. I feel that this Author was relying on a past experience where he might have melted some journalists heart along the way and or during his longer 25 years plus Career. This subtext. It’s not the normal undertaking. Most often in the point and shoot style other writer’s take their characters to the bar and to the bedroom and then… they are done with them. The shoe leather required, and that is spends on walking and working with Nicole Santos, and James Larson in the will she, or won’t she nail—him, or will she ever end up, falling for him; and it’s the what to do with him by–play takes on the length of their orbital–journey which serves this writer’s effective style. He is showing his sage. He is also showing you his chops. It proved worth the wait as a relationship’s brewing entirely, all chapters’ of this story.   

When the ride along shift is over each time, and after the intense shower off the grindhouse deployments.  Nicole Santos joins her sister to discuss the details of what went on between her and James Larsen. This by— play in the writing by the author James H. Lilley was truly humanely approached, and it strikes the reader with a realism few writers achieve. It’s sensitive display, it brings us all that packaged in with tabled heartfelt & rendering moment’s reading it all unfolding. This too, it is also authentic, and noteworthy. The author becomes a mind reader with all these coffee chats, little things are tidy and neat; to read.

The Setting.  Inside this precinct. It’s all quite effective and also at times mind bending since there is plenty of under pinning with the uncanny hubris. You have parts Animal House at this Station House. Also in parts it’s all College Campus Level antics and pranks game, heavy sex activity with Lucy Water’s banging w/ Henry Farges. At another center— piece we run into a drastic drunkard who reads the daily briefing rundown— logs who is the stumbling and bumbling watch— commander that the department tolerates. The lines attributed to this portion of the novel struck enough chords to believe that the things written “went down just the way… they were herein, conveyed.”

The realism parcel mixture it’s 100 per cent rich on every page. And, the policemen and policewomen trade barbs and spar with each other on the politics of whose’ doing what, and towards’ whom. One scene, in particular, it rung so purely pitch— perfect I contacted the Author’s associate in Los Angeles. I wrote that reading page 99, 100, 101, 102 and 103; ending that chapter with the Police Officer explaining to the young child the loss of grandma to the child… after the horrific traffic accident…here the author captured herein, a strident humanity with bold + brilliant veracity with his precision in words. I compared it to the most moving scene I found in “CRASH,” [2004.] Paul Haggis won best picture. The scene’s, this Author has created match the levels involved when Paul Haggis wrote the scene for the Hispanic father, to ease the fears for a young child. In it the father described this “magical cape” to put on that the Father, the locksmith, shares it, with his daughter to help her to come out from hiding, underneath the bed. The “magic cape for her to wear,” afterwards, following a shooting in the neighborhood; the night before. I can only say it is true with this book reviewer, that James Lilley, certainly carved a place into History, with his own passage. He created a scene that I believe might have topped it. I recommend, they utilize his speech he’s written right there… across this book’s pages in any or every Police Department; all across the entire U.S.A. It is highly impactful writing, at its finest.

The boisterous raucous events occurring with the in house events then get split up and diced up, as the reader also becomes intertwined with the dangerous elements and the Police Activity occurring outside, on the street’s that have gritty hardcore currency, that can only be described as stomach turning exhale that truly give’s both Officer’s and Citizen’s red’ eyed difficult days, and red’ eyed tough sleepless nights with generally 80 per cent, using alcohol soothing most of those souls; on their 24 /7 shift’s terms.

In highest praise commentary: The 25 year Veteran and Policeman turned Author brings all his skills to this books potpourri, and collective. What transpires is that solidly crafted reading experience. It is a fierce display with all the goods laced up sprinkled across every page in high quantity. A sure handed writer with some true romantic—sides to an otherwise… hardened—heart.

The Hounds From Hell places quite a prayer for romance… towards… the ending. The coda was pulled off. I was not as sure as the Writer it was coming. It’s usually the sign’ of a true craftsman, who takes you with those characters all the way across the lengthy journey through a complex Universe giving hope + making your heart whole—again.

In this case here, from all of its unexpected place’s; even in this entry portal, or its portrait, and brew. Love finds the way. The journey is well worth your time. This is a writer with great stories, to impact us all. The subject matter, it share’s is a necessity now. Highly recommended reading.